Always Learning

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

We had a situation yesterday with Murphy that I handled very poorly.  We went to an outdoor party...lots of people and five dogs (three Doodles and two Labs).  All the dogs are very good off leash, so none of them were leashed, and they ran and played very appropriately in the yard.  During the afternoon, Murphy cut one of the pads on his foot and started to limp.  I checked it out...it looked sore, but it wasn't bleeding.  I leashed him and brought him on the deck with me in a down/stay.  A short time later one of the other dogs approached him, and he snapped actually showing teeth.  He has never done this before.  He has lunged or barked, but never shown teeth or snarled. I corrected him and put him back in his down/stay.  A little while later another dog just walked by him, and he did the exact same thing....this time even more aggressive and very disturbing to see.  Again I corrected and submitted him.  Shortly after, we left.  It really bothered me, and I worried all night about this.  I belong to an online dog training site where you can submit questions, and the trainers will respond.  Before calling my trainer this morning, I decided to pose the question on that site.  The response I got was very interesting.  This trainer said that Murph was totally acting out of instinct.  In the wild if a dog is injured or lame, the other dogs will attack (survival of the pack).  He said that Murphy was feeling vulnerable (instinctively) and that he was defensive to protect himself.  He said this does not mean he is dog aggressive, just that he was fragile and thinking I wasn't doing a very good job of keeping the other dogs away from him.....so he made his own choice.  He said I should have immediately removed (preferably crated) Murph from where other dogs (especially unleashed) could come in contact with him. It seems like Murphy is always teaching me something....now I'd know what to do in the future.

I'm waiting for the Vet to call....she's going to fit me in between surgeries today.  Murph is still limping.

UPDATE:  We're back from the Vet, and Murph has injuries to pads on both feet.  How awesome is it to have a Vet who takes him in between her surgeries and then hunts to find green bandages.....and then takes the time to cut out little shamrocks to decorate those bandages.  The Drama King is soaking up all this attention.  Check out these pictures of our injured Irish Doodl.

[Pam & Trixie]

That is interesting. Makes sense too.  Sounds like a Good site to belong to.

 

Hope his pad heals ok.  Let us know what the vet says.

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

That's really good information for us all to have.  Thanks for sharing.

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

I remember someone posting a similar incident when there doodle was hurt and got a bit nasty.... Poor Murph - I hope his paw is better soon:)

[Tina, Clover, Plus 5 More]

Thanks for sharing this.  Hope Murphy's paw heals quickly.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Interesting and informative example. My trainer explained this and also added to not always place a DOWN in with the stay. A vulnerable dog, a dog who feels threatened becomes even more so in a submissive down. One of my dogs feels threatened easily and I struggle with the decision in situations that call for a sit stay vs down stay.
In our situation, we use the Almighty Heel in most situations..
The key thing here is DOWN is submissive.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Ps feel better soon Murphy

[Lindsey]

Awww poor Murph-
As soon as you started to explain what happened, I thought "he was trying to protect himself, like an injured dog in the wild". It's very common for a sick or injured dog to snap, bark, growl or bite when they feel threatened. They feel like they are in more danger than usual, so they react in a defensive manner.
That's why blind, deaf, or seriously injured (like a dog that has been hit by a car on the side of the road) can sometimes be very aggressive, they are constantly on alert for something that will/can hurt them even more.
I'm sure he'll be back to himself once his foot is better!
Another thing, if a dog is injured-the trainer was right in saying that you should have crated him- but even if you can't crate him, try to keep him unleashed...an injured and then leashed dog feels even more insecure, they know that not only are they hurt but they are tied down and can't defend themselves even more so.

[Bonnie and Kona]

That information makes so much sense. Poor Murphy! I hope he heals quickly. Thank you for posting this and please update us on how Murph is doing.

[Jennifer and Jack]

The other thing I thought of too besides for protecting them self like they do in the wild is, it is also a vulnerable position for one dog to be leashed and the rest to be off leash, I have only been to my mom's new dog park a few times but they have very strict rules about all dogs must be off leash before entering the second gate because the dogs will act very differently toward a dog that is on a leash as opposed to off.

 

Don't worry, no harm done and Murph is just as sweet as ever.. Just further proof you own a dog..

 

 

[Adina P]

Physical vulnerability aside, it depends on the dog and training. I've taken Rosco to off leash dog areas while he's been leashed because we were training and I wanted the distraction of loose dogs. It worked fine and we got our lessons in. At some point I want any of my dogs to defer to their work while on leash regardless of other excited, interested dogs. Obviously not fair if an off leash dogs tries to attack/hurt them, but aside from that, if my dog is under command my goal is for my dog to worry about the command and not allow other impulses to win over.

[Adina P]

Of course if there is injury/illness it is always better to not work the dog at that time.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Jane, You are the best doodle mom! Murphy is so lucky to have you!! I hope he feels better in no time.